Meet Dr. Patricia Anderson of ABCS Management

Hi Dr. Anderson, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Jamaica and migrated to St. Croix, Philadelphia, and then to Atlanta. It was here that I flexed my entrepreneurial muscles. While in B-School, I attended a lecture by Dr. Dennis Kimbro (author of Think and Grow Rich, the Black Choice), and he advised us to leverage what we are learning at our jobs to create our own enterprise. After graduation, I started a technology consulting business to provide services to local businesses. As a business owner (I learned entrepreneurship from my grandparents), I am always interested in better practices and moving the organization forward. While performing doctoral research on leadership, I became interested in transformational leadership, specifically authentic transformational and pseudo-transformational (we are currently in the throes of global pseudo-transformational leadership.) Both types of leadership exhibit similar behavior initially. However, pseudo-transformational behavior eventually emerges and is problematic to followers and society alike. My mission is to “transform the world, one leader at a time.” I do so through coaching leaders, writing articles, conducting workshops and conferences, and teaching (I am also a professor.) I authored a leadership playbook to partner with learning leaders to stay ahead of trends and to future-proof their businesses. One of the foundational aspects of the book is to differentiate between change and transformation.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to success is always under construction! Like other individuals, there were challenges, many “No’s,” negative feedback, and people not understanding my vision. In many cases, the challenges came from people closest to me. Starting a business is scary; there is an inequity between what you earn initially and what you need to sustain your lifestyle. Sometimes I considered not being an entrepreneur, but I realized how what I was doing encouraged others to do the same. I also experienced unsettledness in not realizing my dream. I was overworked at one point and had to scale back significantly to return to optimal mental and physical health. Learning to balance is critical, and I continually strive to only let positive things in that contribute to ongoing transformation.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about ABCS Management?
I work with business leaders (including HR leaders, political leaders, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, and influencers) to educate and establish them in authentic transformational leadership practices. This type of leadership is evergreen and impervious to crisis and disruption and is preferred by stakeholders (followers, constituents, employees, etc.) I also work in digital transformation, utilizing organizational change management to help organizations achieve project and program success. There is a difference between change (reversible) and transformation (irreversible), and I lead with this construct, which separates me from other change practitioners. As leaders face economic downturns, political and social crises, disruptions, and other headwinds, I guide them in establishing innovative, collaborative, authentic, and transparent endeavors to mitigate the effects. I am most proud of my book: You Know Less Than You Don’t Know (Transformation, not Change, is Key to Success.) This forward-looking leadership playbook (among other topics) positions leaders to lead in the Metaverse, navigate the new talent landscape, and embrace women as vital players in key organizational roles. The information that I share is based on research, interviews, surveys, and feedback from leaders across many industries and global boundaries.